Common flooring systems include a subfloor of poured concrete or plywood and a finished floor, generally comprising a wood material. Various assemblies are located between the subfloor and the finished floor to reduce sound transmission. Generally, these assemblies include the use of one or more of foams, glass fiber insulation, polymeric mats, liquid adhesives and/or solvents. Such assemblies can be time consuming and labor intensive to install. Some can also lead to undesirable, added thickness.
The inexpensive method of installation currently consists of laying down a foam product and then applying the flooring directly on top. This is known as a ‘floating floor’ and no adhesive is used in this process. While inexpensive, the ‘tap’ of the footfall doesn't give the desired sound, it is often too high frequency and not the lower frequency ‘clunk’ that is heard when stepping onto a flooring system that is direct fixed.
The second, more expensive method of installation requires the use adhesive to bond a rubber matting to the concrete slab, then another layer of adhesive is placed on top of the matting and then the flooring on top. The method is far more costly and time consuming but gives the preferred sound on footfall over the floating floor application.
There is thus a need to develop acoustic flooring materials that provide simplified, quick installation and avoid liquid materials, foam and solvents. There is a further need for flooring materials that provide the desired sound damping, while maintaining low cost and ease of installation.